Full of Grace
by maleena06
Summary: Before Sendoh Akira became the Ace of Ryonan, Ito, Kenji ruled the hard court as well as the hearts of many. Will it be the same now that Sendoh, Akira has become the Ace. Who will it be? Kenji or Sendoh? SendohXOC
1. Shadows

_If I weren't just a second too late..._

_What If..._

A riot of thoughts exploded in my mind when I saw her entered the room. Thoughts of regret, despair and sadness hounded me after I saw her smiling at everyone, greeting them with warm smiles and eager handshakes. I look at her that night, noticing every little thing about her. She was wearing a black off-the shoulder top. Her ebony hair tied in a neat ponytail that ends just below her shoulders. Her neck exposed, revealing a wonderful set of jewelry that matched the color she was wearing. The necklace was made of silver, and the pendent, a cross with dainty stones on it. Her long slender legs were clad in a pair of age-old denims, while her feet were enclosed in black stilettos. She looked so glamorous that night. She was so simple, but what caught my fancy was her face. Her almond shaped, blue orbs, eyes were sparkling that night. Her cheeks flushed, making her radiant. Her lips, fish like lips, that sensuously move whenever she spoke, red, full lips that I so yearned to kiss. Her face was mesmerizing. It showed great contentment and happiness, joy and love. Everything was just too perfect that time, except for one little; the hands she was holding was not mine.

I met her when I was sixteen years old. I was a high school freshman at that time and she was in junior high. We both lived in the same prefecture. We both lived in the same community and we do have common friends. I belonged to the basketball team and she was my team mate's girlfriend. I often saw her in practice games, cheering for her boy friend, attending to his extra needs. She was a typical girl friend, always around, always asking questions and always thought of her boyfriend's business. For all I know, she was someone inside my clique. She is someone who can understand our, the team's, present situation. During that time, it was the height of our team's success. We were winning games and everyone was behind our backs; congratulating us, interviewing us, doing us favors and giving us the superstar treatment. We were celebrities, pictorials were here and there. Endorsements were at our disposals. Yes, we were celebrities. I can say we got our 15 minutes of fame through fans that eagerly followed us wherever we went and played. And, some of us were in danger of being stalked, myself included. We became cautious that time and because of our stature we were always suspicious of everyone outside our clique. It didn't just end there; we stopped growing and just enclosed ourselves with people we already knew. And I guess, I was right, she understood every bit of it because in a way she was a celebrity herself.

_Suzuki Chidori was just a normal student before she met Ito Kenji. She would walk around school wearing anything she fancied. She was a junior high student whose life revolved around arts, culture, studying and more studies. It all changed when she met Ito Kenji, the superstar of the team, the Ace Player of Ryonan High, the celebrity in the league. The all-around guy everyone wanted to be. _Yes, she was his girlfriend and she still is up to now. She was the darling of the almighty and great, Ito Kenji, the star player of the team, the most popular of us all. She even became a school figure at that time. People were just talking about her. Everything about her were either ostracized or praised. It seemed that people were suddenly aware of her existence. Curious on what she has to offer. Fan girls of Ito-san would comment on how plain and simple she looked. Other girlfriends would just comment on how naïve and childlike Ito-san's new girlfriend was. Her name would just be all over the net, thread forums would have her pictures all over, strangers criticizing her, spreading false rumors and some would just act like they know her. But it was all part of the bargain when she became Ito-san's, my senior's, girlfriend. But she took it all in a stride.

We were never really close, even though she was always with us, same goes for the other girlfriends, and time never really permitted us to become friends. Her interests were light years away from mine and her hobbies were that of a different thing. As I said, I only saw her in practices, meetings and parties organized by friends. But it all changed one Monday morning.

It was mid-November and the exams flew by as quickly as it came. After finishing my examinations a week earlier, I decided to take a long vacation with my family in Osaka. I spent the weekend unwinding and sleeping so that I can recharge for the coming weeks' challenges. It was the basketball season and some of the teachers were not sparing us from the excruciating home works and projects. So, it was just my prerogative to study hard because before anything else, my studies were my number one priority.

It was a beautiful Monday morning. The sun was not that high and the wind was crisp. I was on my way to school from my week-end long trip from Osaka. I was refreshed, trouble free and I was feeling so good. I was busy humming with a song when my mobile phone rang. The call was from Ito-san, my team mate. He was in school that time, practicing as usual. He was asking me a favor if I could fetch his girlfriend since I was on my way to school and her house was twenty minutes away from my point of destination. At first, Ito-san was quite hesitant to ask me but I assured him that everything was just fine since my classes were not about to start in an hour. It seemed that Ito-san was not able to fulfill his promise to fetch her that morning due to game practices and unfinished school projects.

After five minutes of thanks and swapping directions, we ended our conversation and found myself biking into the direction of the girl's house. The journey was quick because traffic was not that jammed and I arrived there twenty minutes earlier. I called Ken-san, as I fondly called Ito-san, and told him that I was already in front of the girl's house. Again, Ito-san thanked me for the umpteenth time.

I was contenting myself watching the two Bassett Hounds playing with their ears when I saw her half-running towards my bicycle. Her hair was wet and messed-up. A towel was hanging on her neck. Her right hand carrying her bag, her left hand was full of books. After seeing her chaotic state, I went out of the bicycle and walked to her direction. _Hi,_ I greeted and helped her put her luggage in the trunk of my bicycle. Minutes passed, we've settled into a walk-walk situation and moved our way to school.

_Anou, Why were you in a hurry awhile ago? _I asked her. It was a question of curiosity for my part and I also wanted to start a conversation with her since we haven't had that many. _Anou... she started, Ken-chan called; he told me you were waiting for about an hour and a half. He said that I should make it quick since he just asked you a favor._ She replied while rummaging her bag. She was looking for something she couldn't see. I continued walking after she replied. Still, I watched her from the corner of my eye. The first thing that I noticed was her uniform that day. She was wearing the usual white sailor-type blouse and the navy blue skirt that hung above her knees. Her hair was still in a mess, it was long and it ends at the arch of her back. Her skin was a fair and supple. Her pearly whites were partly hidden because of the braces she sported that time. She was still busy looking for that something in her bag when her forehead started to wrinkle and her lips began to pout. She was obviously irked by what was happening. Sensing that she was in a distraught over something, I asked her if there was anything wrong.

She looked up to me. She flashed a sheepish grin, an innocent child like grin and replied, _Sendoh-san, Anou... I forgot my hair brush. _

_That's it..._? I thought. Again, I smiled, finding her naivety heart warming. I shook my head in an animated way and ask her if she would want to go to a convenient store to buy one. Immediately, even before I can utter the words no problem, we found ourselves in the nearest 7-11, with her buying a set of comb and I drinking a large Slurpee®. After that brief stop-over, we continued our walk to school.

To our surprise, traffic started building-up. We were stuck in one area for over an hour due to an accident that happened ten to fifteen minutes ago. While we were in a stop, I opened my portable radio and slowly hummed to the music that was playing. She was looking pensive down, deep in thought. Her front teeth were biting her lower lip unknowingly. _Naïve, _I thought.

She was a special girl that I know of but I never really knew what Ito-san had saw in her that made him change for the better. Sure, she was pretty, but she was not that stunning. If I've known her any better, then I would say that she was way out of Ito-san's league of past girlfriends. _She was too..._I couldn't think of the appropriate word for awhile,_ too simple._ Maybe that was it, she was so simple...too simple for Ito-san. Too simple for the lifestyle Ito-san was living-in that time he saw her in the Ramen House. He was instantly attracted to her. It must have been love at first sight in Ito-san's case but nonetheless, he still pursued her and eventually got what he wanted in the first place. They became a couple. He was Ito Kenji; literally, the guy can get away with anything. He was a superstar and anyone would want to be his girlfriend.

Everyone who was interested in Ito-san's life was shocked after they Found-out that their precious _Ito-sama_ was dating a commoner, rather a simpleton from some junior high in the prefecture. Shock and disbelief was just a natural reaction for those who have seen his line-up of past girlfriends, even I, myself was shocked. Ito-san was known to date celebrity-type of girls and dating a simpleton and an artist to boot, was very much surprising. Life continued on for everyone. It was just simple news that caught everyone's attention. But what came after was shocking; Ito-san started changing for the better. He stopped cutting his classes, ceased being rowdy and seriously studied for once. Soon, everyone started noticing those changes and it even endeared the both of them to everyone. Their story was like a modern fairy tale with Ito-san praying the role of the prince and his girlfriend playing the role of whoever princess they fancied.

I was back into reality when I heard the policeman in front me furiously blowing his horn, signaling us to cross. The sea of students started to move and I was literally zoning of. I thought that, that would be the end of the traffic jammed I've gotten myself into. But I guess traffic was traffic. I looked at her and still she hasn't changed her position. She was still staring down. _Maybe, she's just bored._ I thought. I wanted to start a conversation that time but I didn't know where to start. I was clueless to what she had wanted to talk about so I just started with what we have in common; our friends.

"_How's Tanaka-chan?"_ I asked. She was obviously startled. For awhile there, she was dumbfounded.

"_Nani?" _she asked.

"_Suzuki-san, I asked how Tanaka-san is doing after the accident"_ I asked back. I smiled at her.

"_Ahh. Tanaka-san is fast healing. His therapist is good"_ And that was the start of our conversation. We talked about mundane things, like how she reacted when she first found-out that Ito-san was planning to court her. We even talked about teachers we both knew. Subjects we both took. People we're both acquainted with. Even food, we talked about food. But all in all, it was a very pleasant walk that we both enjoyed amidst of the hassles we found ourselves trapped-in.

Soon, our Monday morning walk became a routine. Ito-san's schedule did not able to permit him to fetch her every Monday, but being the good boyfriend that he was, he managed to get me to become her walk-in partner every Monday morning. I really didn't know how it happened. But I saw myself looking forward every time we would meet. I enjoyed having long chats with her. She was so full of life and laughter. Her life was so interesting that I found myself wanting to be a part of it. Then the next thing I knew, we were already talking about personal things such as my family, my problems, my dreams and my girlfriend, Yuki. But most of the time, she was my happy buddy; someone to share laughs with but never were the tears.

I guess she came into my life at the right time. I needed an outlet that time. I was in turmoil and everything around me was falling apart. I guess I needed a breath of fresh air. It seemed that every where I go, problems were just there to get the best out of me. My family was experiencing problems we thought we would never experience. My sister was being a rebel at that time. She was doing drugs, alcohol and all prohibited things my parents thought she would never ever do. It tore our home apart and it was not helping that my girlfriend was the feeling the pangs of jealousy and possessiveness. Yuki-chan was still Yuki-chan. She was still the all knowing, all charming girl I've come to love when we were in junior high. But all those togetherness were taking its toll on me. I was getting tired of her putting up to me, controlling me. I needed a break from it all. I was getting bored.

And _Chidori-chan_ gave me that break. She was always there to listen. She was always present to cheer me up, make me feel at ease. She never asked questions, all she did was listen, understand and make-up for what was missing in my life; understanding and acceptance.

I realized that she was soon becoming a part of my system which I am very afraid of and at the same time grateful. She became my pillar of strength in a short span of time. Her simple ways affected me. Her smiles were contagious and suddenly I was finding myself yearning to have a part in her life, wanting to be more that just a friend.

But I think that would be next to impossible because seeing her entered the room, hands clasped with Ito-san. Her eyes that looked at him with love and undying devotion, I saw a love that is unsurpassable by anything. It was evident that she was in-love with him and it was more than obvious that he would do anything to satisfy her.

I was afraid of coming in here; of seeing her happy with another man. But I couldn't do anything. She was a part of my world, long before I even realized it.

In my futile attempt to escape her wonderful presence, I excused myself, went into the bathroom and cleared my mind of everything, of the hassles and bustles she was unknowingly giving me. I was about to resolutely claim control of myself when I heard laughter, howls from the boys and giggles from the girls. Curious, I went out and seated at a chair next to her. Everyone's attention was on her and Ito-san. I wondered what was happening and so I asked my friend, Koshino-kun.

It seemed that Ito-san was coaxing her to sing. Startled, I watched her intently, like an eagle to its prey. She was blushing and smiling at the same time. She was attempting to back down but to no avail, she just pushed on with the challenge. I realized that she was about to sing, my mind suddenly became aware of the torture I was about to put myself in, but still, I've learned to love pain, and as a popular love song goes..._I let the pain remain forever in my heart...for every...._

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw her stood-up, her proud aura emanating, enveloping me in its grace. Again, I looked at her, taking-in her every moment, taking with me everything about her, every detail, every breath, every fiber of her being, everything. She walked towards the machine, her delicate fingers pushing the buttons and alas, the first melody of the song started to play. It was a song I knew so well. I looked at her face and smiled, and then she breathed and started singing.

Met you on a springtime day  
you were minding' your life  
And I was minding' mine, too

It was a song we both sang in one our Monday morning walk. It was my favorite song because of the singer's affinity to blue, my favorite color. I can still remember very well how we started to sing that song. I was humming to its tune, suddenly she started singing it. I, too, began to sing, carried away by her enthusiastic nature; I felt that I was alive, very much alive.

When you looked my way  
I had a strange sensation  
and, darling' that's when I knew...

She looked at my way. Her eyes boring onto mine. I bowed down, ashamed of her presence. But I couldn't steal myself away from her. Hey eyes were saying something I couldn't comprehend; it seemed so lonely, so alone.

That it's sad to belong to someone else  
when the right one comes along,  
yes, it's sad to belong to someone else  
when the right one comes along.

I didn't know what I was seeing. But her eyes spoke of a different story, a different time line, and different thought from the thoughts I have in my mind. I don't know if it was my imagination but I saw love in it. Love that was meant for me, not for Ito-san, but for me, alone.

Oh, I wake up in the night  
and I reached beside me  
Hoping' you will be there

I wanted time to stop then and there. She was talking to me. She was telling me something I've chose to ignore. I wanted to freeze time, to just lock ourselves up into this space we called ours.

But instead I find someone  
who believes in me when I said  
"I'd always care."

I blinked. I wanted to be sure if it was real or if I were just imagining things. I looked at her again and the same look was in her eyes. The same love, intensity, and trust, it was all there. I looked at Ito-san. He was looking at her with love and devotion and all my dreams started fading. _She will never be mine_, I thought. She was another man's property and that man happened to be my friend, my team mate and my comrade.

Oh it's sad to belong to someone else  
when the right one comes along,  
yes, it's sad to belong to someone else  
when the right one comes along.

I bowed my head. I felt that I was cheated. I felt that I was robbed out of my happiness. I never knew that the world was so unfair and I thought _Why give anyone if you'll take it back the day after?_

So I lived my life in a dream world  
for the rest of my days  
Just you and me walking' hand in hand  
in a wishful memory

Oh, I guess that's all  
that it would ever be

Memories started coming back. Happy memories of us being happy together, contented in ones presence. It made me smiled. Nostalgia washing over me like water_. I love her, _I thought, _I love her._

Wish I had a time machine  
I could make myself go back  
Until the day I was born,  
And I would live my life again  
and rearrange it so that I'll be  
Yours from now on.

Oh it's sad to belong to someone else  
when the right one comes along,  
yes, it's sad to belong to someone else  
when the right one comes along.

I realized that she just finished her song. She was still looking at me straight in the eyes. We were oblivious to the world around us. Then, there was the applause and we returned to 'the real world'. But I was resolved on how I am going to get her. She gave me the signals that she wanted to be with me and If I am wrong about that, then at least, I know in my heart that I tried, and I wouldn't be waiting in vain for a chance to pass me by, _again_.

After the festivities were over. I sent her a message to meet me in an exit near the restrooms.

She was there a minute earlier. She was looking for me all over the place. Her eyes were scanning the vicinity. I was about to walk to her when I saw Ito-san came up to her. He put his arms around her and from a distance I saw him mouthed something like "You look so tired, let's go." Again she looked around; cerulean pools of vision were scanning the area, probably looking for me. I bowed down again, feeling the defeat that washed me all over. Moments passed, I looked-up again and I saw her with Ito-san leading the way out. And with that, I walked away with a heavy heart and a shadow of regret. I thought that tonight I can finally rest my head on something real. But then again, my life was always full of futile attempts and re-scheduled dramas.

_Oh well, there's always tomorrow. _I thought.

_Fragile..._

_Broken..._

_Fine china..._

_You're fingers are too slippery..._

_Slippery..._I thought.

Author's Note:

Ha. Ha. Ha. Another fanfic after months of suffering from Al Zheimer's (Did I get it right?) The timeline of this fic was when Sendoh Akira was still a freshman and the Ace Player of Ryonan was Ito Kenji, a senior. It follows the journey of Sendoh-san on how he became the Ace Player that he is right now. It's a love story. The plot is the usual love-triangle thingy, but I promise that this will be light and waffy. This is for teenagers so don't expect anything beyond PG-11 and GP. Enjoy and Please Review.


	2. First Blood

Chapter 1- Musings

Sendoh, Akira was walking along the corridors of his school, Ryonan. He was wearing his uniform, a blue polo, underneath it was a white shirt neatly tucked-in. His pants were a color of blue, same shade as his polo. His book bag was on his left hand while his gym bag was on the right. He was slowly walking towards his next class, Biology. He was taking his time observing the sea of students swarming around the busy corridors. As usual, different types of students flocked the area. The intellectual ones were seated on the floors, discussing books and other "boring" stuffs. The preppy ones or those who belonged to the high average class of society were talking about some of the latest trends in the fashion and technology arena, the girls were as usual; flaunting girlish magazines and giggling about something they've read about. And then, there were the _fan girls_. _Fan girls _also came in different shapes and sizes. Some of them were thin, fat, beautiful, ugly, sexy, artistic, intelligent and well, stupid. They were the people who elevated them, the athletes, to school. Those people were the ones responsible for their so-called fame and persona. They were the ones who gave them the popularity, the name, support and most of all; they were the ones who took away his sought-after freedom. They chased, they clawed, they ran, they bit, they persisted, they hit and they hit hard; those were the things he had proven overtime. In his years of playing high school ball, Sendoh had taken the theory that fan girls won't stop at anything for them to get what they wanted in the first place. And so, he had developed certain traits that helped him go on with his usual life. He acted like a happy-go-lucky person who doesn't give a damn about anything besides basketball. It helped him shield his emotions, hid his deepest feelings and it helped him to exist without people bothering the hell out of him.

Smiles. Waves. Smiles. It was a ritual after he became the ace player of Ryonan. When Ito, Kenji graduated this year everything went on Sendoh's way. His coach noticed the changes in his game and thus making him the next ace player of the team. But still, Sendoh didn't feel content. He was burning inside; he wanted to show everyone that there was more to him than his predecessor, Ito-san. He wanted to be different. _'I can do better than Ito-san' he thought_. He was still walking towards his next class when he over heard something that caught his attention.

He stopped at mid-step, searched for the owner of the voice that spoke those words. Words that made his heart beat wild. _"Have you heard? Ito-san's girl friend enrolled here in Ryonan?" a brunette, with shoulder length hair told her companion in a "whisper"._

"_Oh." The other girl replied, "Really?"_

"_Ah," the brunette smiled with satisfaction, happy that she was the one who heard the rumor first. " Yes, she is studying here. She's a first year student. She's in 1-B."_

"_Is she pretty?" the companion asked, her eyes mischievous in a way. Her lips pursed into a thin line. She was eagerly waiting for the answer._

"_Iye," the girl replied, "She looks so simple, even I wouldn't take a second look at her." _

"_What?!" the companion exclaimed. _

"_It's true." The brunette assured the other girl. _

"_How in the world did she manage to get Ito-san's attention?" the girl wickedly asked the brunette in front of her._

"_I don't know." The brunette answered, clueless. _

He smiled, another mysterious smile. After he heard the conversation, Sendoh continued on with his flight to his next class. _'So, look who decided to study here' _he thought.

Sendoh's class flew by like a gust of wind in a hot dessert. They were dismissed early on due to some meeting that was attended by their teacher. Immediately, he ran as fast as he could to get to the gymnasium where their basketball practice was being held.

Toaka-sensei was being his usual self. The grumpy middle-aged man was being the mentor that he was. He made them do a lot of things. Their calisthenics were harder than usual and their tune-up games with each other were rougher. It concentrated more on their man-to-man defense. It almost drained their energy but Sendoh, Akira was nowhere near tired. He was very upbeat. His movements were very graceful. His speed was unmatched by anyone. His adrenaline was at its peak. The smile on his face was mischievous and conniving at the same time.

'_Need to show her what I'm made of' _Sendoh thought.

He hasn't stopped thinking about her all day. She was the constant thought that kept him up all day. He was very attentive at everything that was happening in his surroundings, observing everyone that came into his way, hoping that he would bump to her. He was almost too sensitive, cautious at everyone's business. He wanted to hear anything about her. He was excited, yes, very excited indeed. He had been waiting for this moment ever since he first realized that he had special feelings for her. His thoughts ran about everything that has got to do with her. It energized him, the very thought of her. He let his mind drift over her, the special girl, that caught his heart a year ago and it put a smile on his face.

"Sendoh-san!" Koshino, Hiroaki called on to his peer. The timer was about to expire and he had called on to his friend to deliver the final blow. The spike-haired boy looked-up to him. He was anticipating the pass when the buzzer called out its last siren of the game.

"Game Finished" the referee announced.

"Nice game Sendoh-san!" Hikoichi congratulated the panting player. The game just ended with Sender's team winning the concluded game. Again, he was the top player of the game. He had scored a total of 15 baskets and 10 rebounds.

They were all congratulating him when he suddenly saw a flash of black hair. He knew who it was but the mobbed of players hindered his view of his 'princess'

'_I need to see her' he thought. _He patiently waited for him team mates to part. One by one, all of them started retreating and made their own way to the lockers. He looked everywhere, scanning the vicinity with keen eyes. _'Kuso! Where is she?' _he had lost her _again_. She was this near, this _near_.

'_When can I see you again?' _Slowly, he walked, readying himself for a bath and a lonesome walk home.

He finished his bath in an instant. He was too preoccupied to enjoy the chatter of his friends. The yearning of seeing her was consuming him. He has become restless. He even declined the offer Koshino made after they won the tune-up game.

Step by step, Sendoh made his way out of the school grounds. He was walking with his head bowed down and shoulders slumped. He did not notice the pen that fell from his book bag. He just continued his journey until a voice called his attention. "Anjou, Sendoh-san!' a female voice called out to him.

'_Another fangirl' _he thought. He had decided to ignore the voice when he heard a familiar name.

"Chidori-chan! That's Sendoh-san. He is the Ace player of Ryonan." The voice hurriedly whispered but was enough for him to hear it.

He stopped at mid-step. His heart was beating fast. Tiny beads of perspiration trailed his forehead down. Slowly, he turned around. His heart stopped at that moment. All else did not matter as he was face to face with her.

He took a step back. Slowly inching himself towards her direction.

"Suzuki-san…" it was not a question.

She looked at him. Blue orbs were directly piercing his eyes. Suddenly, a shadow of a smile crept it way to her angelic face. She gave way an expression of relief and it made his heart burn.

"Sendoh-san, how are you?"


End file.
